Sizing apparatus



J. G. KIRKSEY.

SIZING APPARATUS.

A-PPLICATION mam MAY 31, we. RENEWED SEPT. 29. 1919.

1 $338,227. Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. G; KIRKSEY;

s|zme APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1 9.16. RENEWED SEPT. 29, 1919. 227.

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JOHN GIDEON KIRKSEY, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SIZING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 31, 1916, Serial No. 100,963.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. Kinnsnr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashin ton, have invented certain new and useful mprovements in Sizing Apparatus, of whichthe following is aspecitlcation, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in apparatus for hydraulic placer mining, and has for its object the better saving of the very fine, flaky, oxidized, tarnished and corroded gold and other accompanying metals, which as now practiced, are washed out of the sluices, under the force of the great volume of water necessary to move the coarse particles or pieces of rock, ranging up to good size boulders.

Another object of my invention is to provide an apparatus whereby the material on the highly inclined screen cloths is given a very rapid travel, due to the'rapid cushioned jar or deadened'stroke given to the screen carrying frame, and which gives a rapid bouncing downward movement of the material over the screens, thus largely overcoming the scour and wear of the screen cloths, thus giving longer life and avoiding the clogging of the screen meshes of the finer screens.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine with a plurality of different sized mesh screens, thereby giving large tonnage capacity, with few or comparatively no moving or wear parts, requiring but little horsepower to operate, and with which the ordinarysize sand and the finer metals can be readily separated from the larger gravel, pebbles and boulders for further treatment in riffled sluices or far preferably with concentrating tables, adapted to save all the high specific gravity metals, as well as the black sands (iron ores) which always carry high in incrusted gold and which can be cheaply saved by chemical treatment.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine of amplesize, strength and capacity to take care of the immense tonnage ordinarily handled in hydraulic sluicing into an inclined, riftled sluice-way or flume, as well as for hydraulic dredging or Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

Renewed September 29, 1919. Serial No. 327,266.

dredges, with but few wear parts, and giving far better results by the saving of the fine values now lost.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine, adapted to be interposed in the line of the ordinary sluice box run, with a loss of but a few inches in elevation, and with which practically all the water passing through the screens, into the tank and over the weir, goes to the lower connecting sluiceway, to remove the oversizes from the screens,'thus dispensing with elevators; and also with this overflow water is carried suspended low specific gravity matter, such as most of the muds, talc, dirt, silt, &c., thus making for improved results.

Qther objects and advantages, presented in this improvement will be made manifest in considering the following details of construction, in connection with the accompanying. drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved device, including the connecting stationary screen or grizzly and showing broken sections of the inlet and outletsluices.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the inner screen carrying frame.

Fig. 3 is a vertical side sectional view of same, with screens mounted therein.

Fig. at is a vertical cross section of said inner frame, showing in section the mounted screen cloths.

Fig. 5 is a cross section in elevation, of the machine, showing the outer andinner frames, the weir end of the tank and the precipitates discharge openings.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of the con necting stationary screen or grizzly.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several drawings.

'Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes the base members, 2 the upper members, 3 the uprights, 4 the cross members, 5 the braces or intermediate side members, 6 the cross cap members, comprising the main or heavy wooden outer frame. 7

7 are metal plates secured with bolts 8, and lag screws 9 to said outer frame, and 10 are anchor rods for more securely holding together aid outer frame.

11 are the heavy channel members held to gether by the top cross channel members 12 and the under angle members 13, and com-.

frame with the'resilient springs 21.

22 is a large tank, preferably of metal, mounted within the outer frame and under the inner screen frame and projecting beyond the upper ends of both said frames suiiiviently to enable a person to get inside of said tank, if necessary. Said tank pro- .vided with a baflle plate 23 and discharge gates 24.

is a discharge spout attached to the outer frame. 26 is a discharge spout attached to said tank on the weir level of same. 27 is a connecting inclined riilled sluice memher into which the overflow water from said tank passes, to carry away the oversizes from the screens, which also pass into this sluice member, and in this riflled sluice the gold and other metal particles too large to pass through the meshes of the lowermost or finest screen are caught and held.

28 are shafts mounted in bearing boxes 29, attached to the wood members 2, and which shafts carry the involute or cam wheels 30, and pulleys Si.

32 are steel plates secured near the cor ners of the inner frwine against which the cam wheels coact to produce the vertical bump or stroke of the inner f nine.

33 are rubber buffers or resilient cushions secured near the corners of the inner frame, and 'which impinge and react against corre sponding bull es or cushions attached to the wood members l.

34 are supporting timbers for the connecting screen box 35, which carries the transversely ins-lined screen or grizzly 36, said screen box having a triangular floor nu iber 37 which is level in res ect to said and cor is only in part the screen n lllllC-lbt, said door 37 being secured by hinges 40 to the side of the screen box, and said floor being provided with spacing members 38, adapted to distribute the material evenly over said screen.

39 is a connecting sluice box or flume down which the water .and material are brought to this mechanism.

In the embodiment illustrated show the stationary screen or grizzly to discharge direetly onto the head end of the suspended inner screen frame, but the same might be interposed at some other point along the sluice line above the main machine.

In the embodiment illustrated I show three screens mounted within the inner frame, but I do not limit myself to a fixed number of such. The height and great length of this screen frame would permit adding more screens of properly selected. mesh, and which obviously would give greater tonnage capacity to this machine.

As will be seen, this operable screen carrying inner frame is mounted vertically on preferably coil springs of sufficient strength to sustain the weight and cause a moderate contact or impingement between the resilient cushions or buffers secured near the corners, and force of the upper stroke of said frame can be governed by the tension of said springs, and the length of the stroke can be regulated by adding or removing the packing betweenthe shaft boxes and timber supports, thus raising or lowering the shafts and cam wheels.

One of the novel and valuable features-of this machine is the large tank mounted under the reciprocated inner screen frame, into which the water and material passing through the lowermost or finest screen, falls. Said tank is provided, near the discharge end, with one or more baflie plates, extending above the water level, so that the material and metals with a tendency to float, and especially the very fine, flaky, tarnished and corroded gold, cannot be overflowed and ass from said tank, and with the material alling from the screen on such floating particles, they would soon become cleansed and free to sink of their own slight weight, when they would pass out the gates with the clean particles of sand and the ores), for further treatment on tables, and obviously also the comminuted fine matter of low specific gravity, such as mud, talc, dirt, &c. suspended in the water would be carried upwardly and out over the weir end of this tank into the connecting sluice, into which the oversizes from the screens pass, and the whole carried to the waste dump; thus efl'ecting an enormous concentration of the carried values, with no risk of loss, and giving a clean product from which these fine, free particles of gold and other metals can be separated, with also the saving and separation of the black sands, carrying much incrusted gold, which may be chemically treated and saved.

It will be observed that the height of this machine over all, is but a few feet, and the diflerenee in elevation between the inflowing and outflowing sluices is but a few inches, making it practicable to interpose same in the average hydraulic sluicing locations.

In operation this apparatus is set at an.

black sands (iron cline given the sluice-Way, in ground sluicing, and on dredges, as may be desired, but clearly the greater the angle of inclination, (within reasonable bounds) and the greater the number of strokes given the inner frame, the greater will be the capacity of the machine. The very small motor or engine required to operate this machine may set near either end, and the drive pulleys placed on "the shafts to suit such connection.

It is understood that I do not limit myself to the details of construction herein shown and described, as various minor changes such as would suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic may be made therein without departing from the spirit or fundamental principles of my invention.

near its corners, a plurality of screens of descending mesh sizes secured in said inner frame in superimposed spaced relation the uppermost being the coarsest and the lowermost the finest, yieldable buffers disposed near the corners of said inner frame adapted to impinge and coact against corresponding buffers attached to said outer frame, means for imparting a rapid upward bumping action at each corner between said inner and outer frames, means for conveying material to be acted upon to said inner screened member, means for removing the oversizes discharged from said screened members, means for removing the material passing through the lowermost or finest screen of said screened member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN GIDEON KIRKSEY. Witnesses: I

T. C. NUTTER, F. X. WALnRoN. 

